Automobile body side and roof assembly



7, 1951 c. B. DOTY ET AL 2,563,221

AUTOMOBILE BODY SIDE AND ROOF ASSEMBLY Filed Nov. 6, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 g 7, 1951 c. B. DOTY ET AL 2,563,221

AUTOMOBILE BODY SIDE AND ROOF ASSEMBLY Filed Nov. 6, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR5,

E (XXI /bra .5. 12423,,

wfm

Patented Aug. 7, 1951 AUTOMOBILEABgDY SLIDE ROOF S EMB Y Clifford B. Doty and Trygvc Vigmostad, Detroit,

Mich., assignors to Briggs Manufacturing pany, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application November s, 1946, Serial No. 708,127

9 Claims. (cl. 296-28) 1 This invention relates to vehicle bodies and particularly automobile bodies, one.of the objects or purposes thereof being to improve the construction and fabrication of an automobile body or the like so as to simplify the same, re-

duce the cost of manufacture such as by enabling the side and roof assemblies to be joined together more quickly and easily, and in addition to strengthen and stiffen the body in respect to certain important structural portions thereof.

A further object of the invention is to provide an automobile or similar vehicle body of the type fabricated principally of pressed metal parts wherein the front pillars adjacent the windshield are each formed into a double box section upon consolidating together the roof and side assemblies, thereby providing a pillar construction having maximum strength and rigidity while at the same time having a minimum of thickness or depth in two directions so as to improve the vision of the front seat occupant of the vehicle.

Another object of the invention is to provide in an automobile or similar vehicle body a front pillar construction of the foregoing construction in which the intermediate or dividing transverse wall of the double box structure is formed by an extension of the drip molding.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved vehicle body structure in which the door header extending along each side of the body above the door opening or openings is in the form of a strong and rigid box section to which the flanged depending side of the roof panel may be easily attached.

A further object of the invention is to provide a door header structure of the foregoing description in which the top closing wall of the box section is formed by an inward extension of the drip molding.

The above and other objects and advantages of the present invention will appear from the following description and appended claims when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an automobile body constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section taken substantially through lines 22 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 3 is a view in part similar to Fig. 2 illustrating the method of spot welding together certain overlapping portions of the front pillar structure.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged section taken substantially through lines |4 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary elevation illustrating the upper part of the center pillar.

Fig. 6 is a section taken through the door header structure substantially from lines 6-6 of Fig. 5 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged section taken substantially through lines 1-1 of Fig. 1 looking in h direction of the arrows.

Before explaining in detail the present invention it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings we have illustrated an automobile body having a main roof assembly A formed principally from a single pressed metal sheet, and two side assemblies 18, each of which is a unitary structure adapted to be consolidated as a unit with the roof assembly as by spot-welding. A four-door automobile body is shown by way of example, this body having two doors C and D at each side. The single pressed metal roof panel extends down and back to the rear deck opening and in front along opposite sides of the windshield opening at least to the cowl. Each side assembly B includes a top header extending along the side edge of the roof panel over the door opening or openings, a center pillar ID, a rear quarter panel II, and a front cowl panel l2. In the case of a two-door automobile body the center pillar will, of course, be omitted and it is to beunderstood that the present invention is applicable to automobile bodies of both the two-door and four-door types.

The roof assembly comprises a unitary pressed metal roof panel terminating over its major width at the upper edge of the windshield opening but provided along each side of the windshield with a downwardly sloping front pillar extension l3 suitably contoured as illustrated in Fig. 2. Along each side of the windshield there is provided a pressed metal reinforcing member I which is spaced over its major width inwardly of the roof panel extension l3 to form therewith three sides of a box-like section. The roof inneredgewi el extension il has an inwardly directed e Ila extending substantially parallel to the windshield il, and the member il also has a flange Ila engaging the flange Ila and spot welded thereto. These flanges are embedded in a rubber sealing strip II which in turn receives the edge of the windshield il.

Extending along the front upright edge of the front door opening is a front pillar member II which forms the front lamb of the door. This member is part of the unitary side assembly B and is pressed to form a forwardly extending flange i'ia which in turn has its outer edge turned outwardly to provide a flange iib. Thus, the pillar member II with its angular flange iia forms two sides of a box section. The other two sides of this box section are formed by means of I. pressed metal member Il which is in the nature of an inward extension of a drip molding or drain trough il extending contiguously around the door openings above the belt line of the body. The extension ll of the drip molding, as shown in Ilg. 2, is flanged rearwardly at Ila to meet the pillar member i1 and is thence formed with an inward flange ilb engaging the pillar member and spot welded thereto. The drip molding extension il has a portion ilc which overlies the flange i lb and is spot welded thereto in the fabrication of the unitary side assembly. The roof panel extension il terminates at its rear edge in an inwardly extending flange ilb which, when the roof is consolidated with the side assembly. is spot welded to the overlyingwelded-together portions ilb and ilc.

The inner reinforcing or windshield framing member il has a portion thereof extending contiguously with respect to the flange Ila and terminates in an inwardly extending flange Ilb which is spot welded to the welded-together portions ilb and II when the roof and sides of the body are assembled together.

Thus, it will be seen from the foregoing that the pillar structure is inthe nature of a double box section formed by the parts ll, ll, i1 and is with the drip molding extension il forming in common one of the walls or sides of each box section.

In the present embodiment of the invention the pillar member i'i extends upwardly and thence rearwardly along the upper edge of the door openings and thence downwardly along the rear edge of the rear door opening. Thus, as shown in Fig. 4, the pillar extension I! merges into the door header ill, forming a part thereof.

and this door header becomes. by pressing operations, an upwardly opening channel comprising a bottom web and spaced side flanges i'i la and 4 sembly B the flange Illa thereof is spot welded to the flange iilc and the adjacent portion of the' drip molding extension.

As illustrated in Fig. 6, the box like door header is Joined to the upper end of the center pillar il. This pillar is channel shape in cross-section in accordance with conventional practice being outwardly embossed throughout its length at Ila to permit the doors when closed to lie flush therewith. The top of the pillar is notched to receive a reinforcing angle 20 having flanges lla and llb spot welded to the pillar and also to the adjacent sides of the door header I'll.

As illustrated in Fig. 7, the rear depending portion ll of the roof panel A is flangedinwardly at lia and thence downwardly at lib. The rear quarter panel Ii is formed with a flat ledge iia terminating in a depending flange iib. The ledge iia and depending flange iib engage the portions lia and lib of the roof panel and are spot welded thereto. Extending across the back of the tonneau behind the rear seat is a package tray ll which is in the form of a pressed metal panel having at its end a depending flange lla extending in juxta position to the flange lib of the roof panel and spot welded thereto.

Referring to Fig. 2, a tacking strip ll is secured to the member ll and the usual fabric covered trim strip ll is attached to this tacking strip. The gap between the trim strip ll and the windshield sealing strip i5 is closed by means of a garnish molding 25. Also secured to the tacking strip is a fabric covered flexible windlace ll.

The front door D, as shown in Fig. 2, comprises the usual outer panel 21 which is flanged inwardly at lia to form 'the window reveal. The frame of the door includes a lamb member ll flanged outwardly at lla and secured to the outer panel by crimping the edge 21b of the outer panel around the flange lla. The hanging of the outer door panel around the window reveal is extended inwardly at lic and formed with embossments l'id spot welded to the frame member ll in accordance with conventional practice. The inside of the window reveal is finished by means of the usual garnish molding ll which cooperates with the rubber sealing strips forming part of the glass wing assembly l9 which together with the sliding glass panel li form the closures for the window openingin the front door. As illustrated in Fig. 4, the head lining ll is held in position along its' edges by means of retainers ll secured by means of screws ll to the overlapping flanges ild and "lb of the door header structure.

In assembling the roof panel with the front pillar structure Ii, ll of the unitary side assembly. the portions Ila and iib are spot welded to "lb. The upper edge of the outer flange iila I is formed with an outturned flange IIlc which underlies and engages the drip molding extension il. In the formation of the unitary side assembly B the flange iilc is spot welded to the drip molding extension I and the latter is formed at its an upturned flange ild which is spot welded to the upper edge portion of the header flange illb. Thus, it will be seen from Fig. 4 that the drip mo extension il closes the open side of the channel shaped header ill and forms therewith a box section extending the full length of the upper edges ofthe door openings. Each depending side ill of the roof panel the intervening portion ilc of the drip molding extension Il. This is accomplished, as shown in Fig. 3, by means of electrodes ll and ll. The

electrode II is inserted through slots or apertures ll provided at intervals in the reinforcing member ll of the front box section. In this manner these portions of the double box section may be readily and easily spot welded together while it will be apparent that the remaining exposed portions of the double box section may be spot welded together without diiflculty.

We claim: 1. In a vehicle body, a door header and front pillar structure comprising a member pressed from sheet metal to provide two sides of a box section, a drip molding having an inward extension pressed to provide two sides of said box seetiomtheoutersideofsaidmemberterminataseaaai in in an outwardly direct/ed flange enga ing said molding extension and secured thereto, said molding extension terminating in an inwardly directed flange engaging the inner side of said member and secured thereto, and a body panel having an inwardly directed flange secured in overlappin relation to said molding extension and said outwardly directed flange.

2. In a vehicle body, a door header and front pillar structure comprising a member pressed from sheet metal to provide two sides of a box section, a drip molding having an inward extension pressed to provide two sides of said box section and secured to said member to form the box section, and a roof panel terminating at one side edge in an inwardly directed flange engaging overlapping portions of said drip molding extension and member and secured thereto.

3. In a vehicle body, a door header structure comprising a member pressed from sheet metal to provide two sides of a box section, a drip molding having an inward extension pressed to provide the two remaining sides of said box section. said member terminating at its outer edge in an outwardly directed flange engaging said molding extension and secured thereto, and said molding extension terminating at its inner edge in an inwardly directed flange engaging said member and secured thereto, and a roof panel terminating at one side edge in an inwardly directed flange engaging said molding extension and secured thereto and to said outwardly directed flange.

4. In a vehicle body, a front upright pillar structure extending along one side of the windshield opening and formed from two adjacent front and rear box-like sections, the rear boxlike section comprising a pressed metal door jamb member and a second pressed metal member each pressed to form two sides of the rear box-like section and having overlapping portions secured together, and the front box-like section comprising two outer and inner pressed metal members joined together adjacent two corresponding ends and secured adJacent opposite ends thereof to said overlappin portions, said second member forming one common side of said box-like sections and terminating at its outer edge in a drip gelding disposed exteriorly of the pillar struc- 5. In a vehicle body, a pressed metal roof panel having a relatively narrow hollow extension lyin along one side of a windshield opening, a pillar member formed with a door lamb portion, and a drip molding having an inwardly extending portion interposed between and secured at a common point to said extension and pillar member and forming therewith two adjacent box-like sections.

6. In a vehicle body having a pressed metal roof panel, a front pillar structure extending along a side of the windshield opening comprising a door jamb member angularly formed to provide two sides of a box-like section and terminating in an outwardly directed flange, an extension of said roof panel formed with an inwardly directed flange overlying the flange of said jamb member, and pressed metal means forming with said extension a box-like section and secured to said extension and jamb member at the locality of said flanges, said means also forming with said jamb member a second boxlike section.

7. In a vehicle body, a door header structure comprising an upwardly opening channel member pressed from sheet metal to provide three sides of a box section extending along the top of the door opening, the outer one of said sides having an outwardly directed flange. and a drip molding having an inward extension overlying and secured to said flange and forming the fourth side of the said box section, said extension terminating in a flange secured to the inner one of said sides of the box section.

8. In a vehicle body, a door header structure comprising an upwardly opening channel member pressed from sheet metal to provide three sides of a box section, a drip molding having an inward extension overlying said member and forming the fourth side of the said box section, said member and molding extension having overlapping portions, and a roof panel terminatin at one side edge in an inwardly directed flange engaging said overlapping portions and secured thereto.

9. In a vehicle body. a door header and front pillar structure comprising a member pressed from sheet metal to provide a facing for a door jamb and an outwardly extending onset flange, a drip molding having an inward extension secured to said flange and extending inward in spaced relation to said facing, said inward extension terminating in an inwardly extending 01!- set flange secured to said facing, and a roof panel terminating at one-side edge in an inwardly directed flange secured to said inward extension of the drip molding and to the flange of said member.

CLIFFORD B. DOTY. 'IRYGVE VIGMOSTAD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the flle of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,205,797 Ledwinka June 25,1940 2,248,819 Waterhouse, Jr July 8, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 511,210 Great Britain Aug. 15. 1939 

